Antarctica is facing major challenges scientifically. Climate change, melting ice at an increasing rate and sea level rise are common themes associated with Antarctica. With a major burst of energy from the International Polar Year, new opportunities have risen addressing these and other research questions. APECS will bring together polar research experts to discuss the following issues:

- What are the major new discovers from the last 3 years of Antarctic research and what does the future hold in these areas?
- How can early career scientists contributed to increasing our research efforts?
- What new opportunities are available to early career scientists now, particularly for South American young scientists?

Panel:

- Jerónimo Lopez- Martínez (SCAR Spain)
Jerónimo is a professor in Geology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. He is involved in Antarctic research since 1989, having participated in numerous field expeditions. His current research interest is the study of relief evolution, linking neotectonics and geomorphology, as well as recent and active geological processes in the Antarctic Peninsula region. He is currently president of the National SCAR Committee of Spain. Past-Vice president of SCAR and has occupied several positions in the European Polar Board, COMNAP and the Committee of Environmental Protection of the Antarctic Treaty.

- Mahlon Chuck Kennicutt II (SCAR President)
Mahlon received his PhD in Oceanography from Texas A&M University in 1980. At Texas A&M University he has served as a Principal Investigator, Deputy Program Manager, and/or Program Manager on several large interdisciplinary programs. He has participated in/or lead over $22 million worth of research, contracts, and grants during his time at Texas A&M University. He has served as PI on National Science Foundation grants from Marine Chemistry and the Office of Polar Programs. He has spent over 575 days at sea, deployed to Antarctica 6 times, participated in 6 submersible dives in various vessel including the Navy NR-1, and maintains a current project at McMurdo Station, Antarctica of r the US Army and NSF. Within SCAR he has served on committees and held various offices including the Vice President for Finance and Scientific Affairs, member of the Standing Committee to the Antarctic Treaty System, Chair of the Delegates Committee on Scientific Affairs and Secretary of the SCAR Scientific Research Program Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments.

- Francisco Fernandoy (APECS EXcom, APECS Chile)
Francisco has studied geology at the University of Concepción (Chile), there graduate in 2005. At the end of 2006 received a DAAD scholarship to initiate a PhD in Germany at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research and the University of Potsdam (where he is now), began the studies in April 2007 after a six months language course in the city of Leipzig (Germany). Between 2002 and 2010 participate in seven scientific expeditions to the Antarctic Peninsula in subjects like palaeontology, geology and glaciology. The first four expeditions were in frame of an INACH (Chilean Antarctic Institute) project with the aim to study the evolution of the Gondwana break-up, based in paleontological and geological evidences. During these expeditions worked in different points of the South Shetland Islands. During January and February 2008 carried out the first expedition of his PhD program in the Antarctic Peninsula nearby the Chilean “O ́Higgins” station, from this location were retrieved shallow ice cores to study the climate variability in the last years to decades. Francisco has help establishing the APECS Chile with the aim of get in touch all the Chilean young researchers and hopefully to establish cooperation instances between national and international partners. Francisco is an APECS Executive member and APECS council member.
- Viviana Alder (SCAR-CBET, Argentina)
Viviana Alder is a Biological Oceanographer and a PhD in Biological Sciences. In the 80’s, she formed part of many international and Argentine Antarctic oceanographic expeditions while investigating in systematics, biodiversity and biogeography of loricate ciliates. At present, Viviana and her team of young researchers study the ecologic role of microbial planktonic communities from contrasting systems of Antarctic and SW Atlantic regions. She in part of the Capacity Building, Education and Training of SCAR.
For further information on the SCAR conference go to http://www.dna.gov.ar/scar2010/index.htm
Any queries just contact José Xavier jccx@cantab.net
Looking forward seeing you there!